Free elections only solution to Syria crisis: Larijani

Press TV -(Sun May 4, 2014) Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the only way to put an end to the ongoing crisis in Syria is holding free elections.

“The sole diplomatic solution for the establishment of peace and stability in Syria is the holding of free elections,” Larijani said in a meeting with Mexican Ambassador to Tehran Ulises Canchola Gutierrez on Saturday.
He further stressed the necessity of continuing consultations between Iran and Mexico on issues of mutual interest, saying, “The independent positions of the two countries on international and regional issues, including the Islamic Republic of Iran’s and Mexico’s opposition to a military attack on Syria, can form a basis for joint cooperation on various international issues.”
Syria will hold presidential election on June 3. Damascus has insisted that it would hold the vote despite the foreign-backed militancy that has plagued the country for more than three years.
A total of 24 hopefuls officially registered their candidacy for the upcoming presidential election in Syria before the registration deadline expired on Thursday.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is also among those who have registered to stand in the country’s upcoming presidential poll. President Assad has declared that he seeks another seven-year term in office.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani called for the expansion of relations between Iran and Mexico, saying, “There exists enormous potential [for cooperation] between the Islamic Republic and Mexico in the economic, political, and cultural sectors that can be tapped for the expansion of bilateral relations.”
The Mexican ambassador, for his part, called for the expansion of relations between Tehran and Mexico City, saying, “Strengthening and enhancing the friendly ties between the two countries is necessary” for the two nations to grow closer to each other.